Page 14 of Won't Let You Go (Sin Valley)

Thankfully, we laid that track down in a single take.

As soon as the engineer confirms that take is a keeper, I grab my shit and beeline for the door.

Sid grabs my arm before I get there.“Mick, hold up.”

“No.I’m outta here,” I say, pulling away.

He holds his hands up and backs one step away.“Okay.We need to talk, though.I’ll meet you at your place once I’m done here.”

I don’t bother responding.I consider not going straight home, but Sid’s fucking tenacious, and it’s always better to get it over with.

So, thirty minutes after I get home, Sid shows up with beer.Smart man.

Pulling two cans out of the plastic rings, he holds the rest out to me.“Here, put these in the fridge.”

Shrugging, I deposit the remaining beer in the fridge and follow him into the living room.

“What do you want, Sid?”I ask, after taking a long swig.

“I’m here as your friend, not as your bandmate.What’s going on with you?”

“You’re a smart guy.You figured out the connection between Erin and that fucking song.Pretty sure you know what the fuck is going on with me.”

“I have my suspicions, but how about you spell it out for me?”

“Look, even without the social media shitstorm, I’m pissed as fuck at Dylan for sandbagging me last night.And I’m even more livid with him for doing that to Erin.She came for some quiet nostalgia, and maybe to catch up.That first night, she’d fully expected I wouldn’t see or recognize her.I did, and we had a great time together.I asked her to come to the show last night, and she did.Damn it, Sid.The woman I wanted to marry walked back into my life.So, I had that little sparkle of hope that maybe we could spend some time together and I might get a second chance.Now, with all this bullshit, she won’t even communicate with me, let alone see me.And then to put the fucking cherry on top of it, instead of keeping a low profile until this all dies down in order keep the crazy to a minimum for Erin and her family, particularly her kid, we’re fucking taking full advantage and fanning the fucking flames.”

“Whoa, she’s got a kid?”

“Yeah.The label is supposed to be taking care of protecting Erin and her family from the public eye, but we both know how well that works out.”

“Shit, man.Nobody told me there was a kid.”

“Even if there wasn’t a kid, Dylan should have given me the fucking choice.”

“Yeah, he should have.But he didn’t, so we have to deal.”

“I am fucking dealing.We laid down that track.I’ll meet my obligations to the label, but I’m completely done with Dylan.Now can we call this topic done and get down to the drinking?”

“Whatever you need, man.”

SIXTEEN

Erin

My parents hadto unplug their landline because it rang non-stop whenLast Smilereleased on all the digital storefronts this morning.By that point, my identity had been made public and the media and Mick Russell groupies came crawling out of the woodwork.

My phone pings, telling me I have a message.My gut clenches with dread.My messages are locked down to a point where only contacts or people I’d messaged can get through.But that doesn’t mean someone can’t hack an account to get to me.

I steel myself, ready to deal with some of Mick’s super-groupie’s angry tirade, then click the message.

Mick:Erin, I’m so so sorry.You need to know I had nothing to do with this.I wasn’t even consulted.I made the colossal mistake of trusting my label, and that’s on me.If I could roll it all back, I would in a heartbeat.

Erin:What are you talking about?

Mick:The label’s PR firm released a statement saying you and I have reconciled after fifteen years.

I can’t believe it.Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse.

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